Audio CD review:
Duke Ellington - New Orleans Suite

Duke Ellington - New Orleans Suite

Band: Duke Ellington Title: New Orleans Suite Rating: Release Date: 25 October, 1990 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Blues For New Orleans 2: Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies 3: Portrait Of Louis Armstrong 4: Thanks For The Beautiful Land Of The Delta 5: Potrait Of Wellman Braud 6: Second Line 7: Portrait Of Sydney Bechet 8: Aristocracy A La Jean Lafitte 9: Portrait Of Mahalia Jackson

Customer Reviews The Duke: "New Orleans Suite" -- PERFECT! If you love jazz, buy it if you don't have it!. Exactly what you'd expect from Duke Ellington: a perfect CD!! Just a fabulously entertaining musical experience. don't look past this ellington gem. " so much great ellington out there in his colossal discography. okay, we all know that "the blanton-webster years" is indespensible, as is the 1943 "carnegie hall concerts," "black, brown and beige," and "ellington at newport. all i want to say here is don't let the "new orleans suite," slip by you. it's easy to overlook, but should not be. it's a wonderfully enjoyable recording that all ellington fans should have. no more need be said. Raw, Moving, Dignified, and Stirring: Ellington Sums Up a Cultural Landmark This review is an excerpt from my "So You'd Like To. . " guide called, "Explore the Music of Duke Ellington: Part I. " One of Duke Ellington's last worthy suites, The New Orleans Suite is full of earthy, down-home, and festivous sound you would expect about the place where many roots of jazz and blues trace. The suite comprises five movements and four "portraits" of New Orleans artists whom Duke Ellington deeply respected. The opening movement is "Blues for New Orleans. " Its heavy, wailing solo by Johnny Hodges became one of the last recordings of the inimitable saxophone player before his death. Like "Tourist Point of View" on The Far East Suite, "Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies" captures its themes exquisitely. As Duke Ellington put it, "Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies" is "a rhythmic tone parallel to the excruciating ecstasies one finds oneself suspended in when one is in the throes of the jingling rhythmic jollies of Bourbon Street. " The movement depicts Bourbon Street in the wee hours of the morning. The sun is barely up and the street is strikingly quiet and gray in comparison to the night's now burnt excitement. The sole soloist, Norris Turney, persists on his flute as this man who had lived the night on Bourbon Street. In the mind of this man Turney portrays, the night is still fresh, and the street is still burning hot. Possessed by the memories, as firm and steady as Rufus Jones' drumming, you can hear the heights of ecstasy that grip this man when Turney and the orchestra soar harmoniously to a place of exuberance. The experience of hearing "Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies" is raw and poignant. . You can see a complete list of all Duke Ellington discography, or go back to the Duke Ellington tabs